The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.1 Part 3.3 Asherah 7

Now I know some of you have seen my position on this in my “A Pause for a Cause” series, however, all of this is relevant to the rise of the worship of the goddess Asherah. Think about it. Oppressed and suppressed women in the nation of Israel find a source that appears to offer some freedom to them. It wasn’t being offered by the men of their time period, who treated them more or less like cattle.

The truth of God…the freedom in God was not being given or shown to be for women. This was part of the reason this goddess was attractive to them. In addition, she was alleged as the goddess of fertility and sex among other things, and I don’t doubt that some liberation was needed in some of those areas as well. But the main problem was a lack of faith in general among the entire nation, because there were not just false female deities, but male ones as well.

And like people in our day and time, the people of Israel had a tendency to “fall asleep” or forget concerning things about government…policies, even politicians or rulers that fulfilled or failed to fulfill their promises. They would forget who had wronged them, and Who had done right by them. They failed to tell their children…and so generation after generation forgot about God and had no faith, because it was not shared. This also gave place to the idols.

God told Eve she had to be submitted to her husband, but my point is this: All of this has eventually snowballed into the women’s movement we know of today and throughout history. The only reason that women were able to step out into extremism in this arena is because of the lack of balance in viewing this Genesis story, and the place or position of women by men who rule over all; and because men have done what Adam did, and acquiesced on some level-giving women the lead then turning and accusing women because of their own weakness.

So women…guys tend to submit to us first…so why do you even have a problem with the idea of submission? They get down on one knee in submission to ask you to marry them. They are called to love us as Christ loves the church, and Christ died for the church…which, if a man did this for us…it would be what we call chivalry. So I don’t even understand why some women have issue with the general idea of submission to their husbands. (It’s understandable as an issue only if the situation is abusive.)

However, just as in the photo a few posts ago of the Indian goddesses Shiva and Kali; each of whom was standing on her husband; that extreme portrait of women exerting their rights or position over a man, is one of (self) idolatry.

While prideful men in the church wish to claim the fall as the result of an act of Eve’s in usurping her husband, what we do know is that the serpent’s intent was to cause just such a situation of accusation between males and females. The question in my mind is…at that stage of creation…when there was no “war between the sexes,” why would the woman want to usurp her husband? What reason would she have? I don’t see any. They were completely free in the garden. She had just been given to him. It seems she didn’t even know she was to acquiesce to him. I mean think about it…everything was innocence in the garden. They didn’t even know they had a sinful nature until this situation occurred, and then…how would they even know how to deal with that side of their personage? They were babes! Babes learn through trial and error.

My son knew not to stick his fingers into an electrical outlet as a baby, because I smacked his little hands and said “Hot!” He felt the sting of the slap; it felt “hot” to him, and he learned. But without that experience of what “hot” meant…my saying “hot” would never have meant a thing to him. He actually had to put his hand there first, then I slapped him, said “Hot!” and he felt discomfort/pain and learned not to do that. I see the same scenario here.

Perhaps that is the reason for the judgment God gave Eve…so that she could understand her role and truly come along side her husband as his helper, not his/the ruler of their relationship; and certainly not as a punishment for trying to “assert herself over her husband” as we’ve been led to believe for years. I think the actual punishment was pain in childbirth, and I’m sure the ladies would agree with me.

But look how often God had to teach the children of Israel, via discomfort/pain/defeat that He was the only one they were to follow. Look how often He had to cast judgment on them for their disobedience and idolatry. Because it’s the end result of a training exercise, and in order to advance to the next level of growth, one must “pass the test.” If one fails the testing/proving, then judgment occurs to teach us. Pain is one of the best teachers around.

Worship of the goddess Asherah and these other gods (self idolatry) started back in this time frame, after they were kicked out of the garden. Evidence of an idolatrous mindset was found in Cain, when he chose self-righteousness over God’s way and ended up taking a life as a result and being banished away from God’s people and God’s presence.

It appears that Cain’s people perished in the flood, however, his mindset of self-idolatry did manage to survive through the flood in Noah’s son Ham, who was the father of Canaan; and whose people after the flood, populated Egypt and the surrounding nations where this idolatry originated.

Do you see the seed of Satan successfully planted in the Genesis accusation and the subsequent evolution of it? Isn’t it odd how fundamentalists and the neo-evangelicals (known as CBE) have allowed for the Garden of Eden…the Garden of God’s presence, to become labeled, through their bickering; as the Garden of Accusation while they fight over the rights and position of men and women in the church? Sadly, it is this false accusation that has been the basis of the subjugation of women in all areas, particularly in the church and has done more to further idolatry than perhaps the actions of pagans themselves. It all starts in the house of God and branches out from there. People take things and move into extremes with it, and it is in the extremism where you will find the enemy at work…the place of no balance.

I don’t think God intended women to be subjugated in everything, nor prohibited from utilizing God given gifts for ministry as a result, particularly because this “fall” was already in the plans of God. He already knew it would occur, because He formed us from earth that was in a fallen state. It was all part of the plan as specified in Revelations, so that He could bring salvation to us. (Again, see my study on “In the Beginning,” because I speak more about this and it will clear up any questions about what I’m saying that you may have.)

Without darkness we would never see our need for Him…it had to come, so in essence…no one is at fault, or both were at fault…either way…the end is a null set, so it doesn’t matter. It was part of the plan…they both partook of the fruit, so there is no point in pointing fingers and drawing lines in the sand. They were supposed to work together, and support each other, and in this fall at least…they certainly did that by both being in disobedience.